Monday, June 4, 2012

New Jersey food

Well I got to Jersey yesterday early, after an all nighter. 500 mi. I pulled some sweet Italian sausage from the freezer. As it sat thawing, I was contemplating how to do something different with it. I saw a half full bottle of red wine on the counter and it reminded me of the chicken and sausage dish. I also saw a little leftover tomato sauce in the fridge. So the wheels start to turn and I figured, how about sausage braised in red wine with peppers and onions. That was sounding pretty good, but the dilemma came from the direction of a lot of greens and vegetables that needed to be used up. Escarole that was definitely on its last leg if it wasn't used, broccoli I had brought up from my fridge and broccoli rape that they also had. As my limited energy began to fade, the meal turned into a compromise. I poached the sausage in water, then put it into a saucepan with enough wine and tomato sauce to cover the sausage. I added a little sage, but I think some rosemary would have been just as interesting. Next time. The sausage simmered for at least 2 hours to make it fork tender. The broccoli rape didn't get used. I cooked the escarole as a side dish. I made some penne and broccoli and just served the sausage as the protein portion of the meal. It was all really good, but the sausage was especially noteworthy. It had a really rich flavor.
  So, now this new flavor is itching for a dish of it's own. One possibility that came to mind, and I think that I'm going to have to try some time, is sausage, roasted potatoes and red bell peppers, and  broccoli rape topped with some pecorino Romano and fontina cheese. Could be a dish to remember

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